


Civilian Life

by Whedonista93



Category: Leverage, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: BAMF Maria Hill, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Rare Pairings, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 17:31:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14815746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whedonista93/pseuds/Whedonista93
Summary: They both knew more than they let on.They both knew it was too good to be true.Neither one of them called the other out on it.





	1. Chapter 1

Maria stiffens when the bed dips beside her.

“Just me, sweetheart,” Joe’s familiar voice rumbles.

She smiles and nestles back against him. “Hurt?”

He wraps an arm around her waist and tugs her more firmly against him. “Just a few bruises,” he assures her before dropping a kiss to the side of her neck. “Go back to sleep, Mar. You can interrogate me in the morning.”

*

Late the next morning, later than he ever sleeps anywhere else, Jonah stumbles into the bathroom to piss and brush his teeth before he follows the fruity smells wafting through the house into the kitchen. The sight that meets him - Mary in little shorts and a tank top, stirring a bright red glaze at the stove with a bowl of strawberries at her elbow - draws an appreciative groan from his lips.

Mary throws a fond glance over her shoulder. “Afternoon, Sleeping Beauty.”

Jonah drapes himself across her back, chin hooked over her shoulder and arms wrapped loosely around her waist. “It’s still morning.”

Mary laughs and nods to the clock on the stove. 1:00.

“Shit.”

She smirks at him. “Missing a hot date?”

“You’re making me welcome home pie in Daisy Dukes,” he deadpans. “That’s about as hot as it gets in my book.”

“Who says it’s for you?” She fires back.

Jonah stumbles back, clutching his chest. “That hurts, Mar. I’m gone for a couple weeks and you’re—” his retort is cut off by his phone ringing. He groans as he goes to dig it out of the duffel he’d dropped by the door last night. He points at Mary before he answers it. “We’re not done with this.”

She just smirks at him.

He rolls his eyes glances at the caller ID before he swipes to answer. “Huckleberry.”

*

Maria spares a fond glance at Joe smirking into the phone.

Joe winks at her. “Yeah, I made it back safe… I didn’t call because it was four in the morning… yeah, well keep your jet lag to yourself; didn’t bother me, I fell right asleep with a warm body next to me… stow the surprise asshole, I can manage a relationship. Hell, she’s making me pie. I’d be willing to bet it’s better than yours… babe, I’m volunteering you for a pie cook off.”

Maria doesn’t bother looking back at him. “Kiss my ass, handsome. I still didn’t say it’s for you.”

Maria  _ really _ shouldn’t be surprised when she feels the slightest pressure on her right ass cheek followed by an overly dramatic smacking of lips. “Joe!”

He smirks at her. “You literally asked for it.” His attention drifts back to his phone. “Trust me, my friend, you’d do it too. It’s an ass worth kissing… no, I can’t be serious right now. We had a deal. At least two weeks downtime, I am not… shit. Okay. Yeah, I’ll be there.”

*

Jonah grimaces as he hangs up.

“When do you have to go?” Mary asks tightly.

“Tomorrow morning.”

Her smile is too sharp. “Well… at least we’ll have tonight.”

“Mar, I’m sorry, sweetheart. We were supposed to have-”

“Two weeks. I heard.”

Jonah shrugs, feeling a bit helpless. “We’re still short staffed.”

Mary deflates a bit. “It’s okay. I knew what I was getting into, Joe. We both have demanding jobs.” She shakes herself and gives him a more genuine smile. “What do you want for dinner before your pie?”

Jonah smiles broadly and swoops down to kiss her properly for the first time since he got back, reminded once again why he takes the risk to come back here as often as possible.

*

Maria sees Joe off before the sun is up the next morning, with a kiss to remind him what he has to come back to.

 

She isn’t stupid. She knows he doesn’t work for a private security firm. She knows his name isn’t Joe - there’s a reason she never calls him Joseph; Joe is at least close enough to his real name. And it’s not as if she gave him her real name either… but she knew exactly who Jonah Quinn was two years ago, the moment she spotted him across that dingy dive of a bar. She knew who he was when he bought her a drink, she knew who he was when she let him into her bed, when she gave him a key to her little brownstone in New York, when she fell in love with him… 

*

Nights like last night… homemade dinner and pie with a cheesy low-budget sci-fi flick, forgotten dishes in the kitchen sink, and too many hours awake in bed when they both needed rest. And mornings like like this morning… Mary kissing him goodbye was always a heady mix of ‘this might be the last time’ and ‘remember what you have to come back to’ - and he’d be damned if he knew how, but he was convinced Mary knew more than she let on… nights like last night and mornings like this morning… those were the reasons he kept coming back, despite the risk to them both.

*

They both knew more than they let on.

They both knew it was too good to be true.

Neither one of them called the other out on it.


	2. Chapter 2

Maria is used to calls from unknown numbers in her line of work, but when she last checked, this morning, all her agents were secure, so she’s wary when she answers the phone. “Hello?”

“I’m trying to reach Maryanne Hall,” a deep voice answers. “It’s in reference to Joseph Quill.”

Everything in Maria tenses. “I’m sorry, who?”

The man on the other end of the line chuckles mirthlessly. “You’re wary. Whether he taught you that, or it’s something you already had, I’m grateful for it, but I ain’t got time for it, darlin’. Is this a secure line?”

Maria is rarely caught off guard, but the shift in the man’s tone manages to surprise her. _To hell with it. If Jonah’s in trouble…_ “Yes.”

“He’s gonna kick my ass for this…” the man takes a deep breath. “My name is Eliot Spencer.”

Maria barely bites back a sharp exhale.

“Joe is a friend, and he has a consultancy contract with my company. You’re listed as his emergency contact.”

Maria’s heart sinks to her feet as she leaves her office. “Where is he?”

“Look, Miss-”

“No,” Maria cuts him off, “if he was in any shape to have a say in this, you wouldn’t be calling me. That tells me exactly how bad this is, so where are you?”

“Nowhere safe.”

“If I have to waste time tracking you down, this is not going to end well for you,” Maria growls, tapping her foot impatiently as the elevator descends.

“We can book a flight for you.”

Maria scowls as she exits the elevator into the hangar. “Not necessary. Just tell me where the fuck you are, Spencer.”

Tony quirks an eyebrow at her as she opens a locker against the wall and hooks one of her go bags and an extensive first aid kit over her shoulder before grabbing a weapons case.

“We don’t want you dragged into this,” Eliot protests, “we just want you to be prepared if, well if he doesn’t come back.”

“If he dies, you mean,” Maria snaps. “I am _not_ going to ask you again.”

Eliot heaves a sigh. “Argentina.”

“Tony, I’m taking a jet!” Maria calls over her shoulder.

Tony waves a vague acknowledgment with a bewildered look on his face.

“I’ll be there in a few hours. Text me exactly where,” Maria tells Eliot before hanging up.

*

Eliot stares at the phone until Parker pokes his arm.

The blonde is staring at him. “So?”

“I’m thinkin’ Quinn is either the dumbest fuck alive or has seriously downplayed how smart this girl of his is.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean, man?” Hardison asks.

“She’s coming here. Pretty sure she’s flying a private jet in herself.”

*

Maria cloaks the jet before she hits Argentinian airspace and puts it down in a field about 2 miles out of Buenos Aires. She steals a car at the edge of the city and follows the coordinates to an abandoned tenement in the heart of the city. She parks the car a block away before making her way to the back of the building and picking a lock in the alley. She makes sure the door is secure behind her before slowly working her way toward the interior of the building. Normally a crew like this would stick to higher floors, but if Jonah is injured… lower floors are easier to escape with people not moving under their own power.

She finds them in the living room of an apartment nearest the center of the building. Somehow, she’s not surprised that she recognizes every person in the room. Every single one of their dossiers crossed her desk at SHIELD at one point or another.

Alec Hardison is hunched at a makeshift command center in one corner. Parker is hanging upside down from a rig attached somewhere the floor above through a hole in the ceiling. The center of the room has been turned into a makeshift hospital room, gurney, fluid bags, monitors, and a far-too-pale Jonah included. Eliot Spencer is perched on a chair next the bed with a pinched look on his face.

Maria takes a final breath before stepping fully into the room and dropping her bags with a thud. All three jump, Eliot immediately placing himself in between Maria and the rest of his team.

Maria quirks an eyebrow at him wryly. “Gotta say I expected more by way of security.”

“Still getting it set up. We’ve only been here for like 30 minutes,” Hardison mutters.

Eliot relaxes minutely. “Mary?”

“What the fuck did you let happen to my boyfriend, Spencer?”

“How’d you get here so fast?” Parker asks at the same time Hardison blurts, “You’re Maria Hill.”

Eliot groans and mostly drops his defensive stance. “That explains so much.”

“It doesn’t explain what happened to Jonah,” Maria growls, fighting the urge to grind her teeth.

Eliot retakes his seat next to the bed. “You know who he is, then?”

“I’ve always known who he was.”

Eliot hesitates. “Your relationship…”

“Is none of your damn business,” Maria answers the unasked question sharply.

Eliot flashes he an obviously placated smile. “Real, then.”

The fight drains out of her and she nods once, jerkily, as she steps up and gently takes Jonah’s hand. “What happened?”

“We were going after a new corporation that’s been runnin’ folks outta their homes. People that’ve been here for generations,” Hardison offers.

“Someone made Quinn,” Eliot says. “We don’t know who or how, but the damage was done by the time we could get to him.”

“How bad is it?” Maria asks, silently cursing herself when her voice shakes.

“I called you,” Eliot answers simply.

And yeah… that’s answer enough. Maria closes her eyes and runs through scenarios in her head. When she opens her eyes, she has the beginnings of a plan. She pulls her phone from her pocket and selects the desired contact. “Helen, I need a favor.”

*

Eliot can’t help but gape a bit at the jet he helps Maria load Quinn onto. This kind of tech… Hardison is gonna have a heart attack if he ever sees this.

Parker is clambering over every available surface. “Alec would love this!”

Maria’s lips twitch. “I’ll make sure he gets to see it when this is all over.”

Parker nods. “Cool. So… what do I do?”

“Just… stay with him. Don’t touch any buttons.”

“Can this thing fly itself?”

Maria shakes her head. “There’s an AI integrated into the operating system.” She shakes herself. “JARVIS?”

“Yes, Miss Hill?” Eliot jumps at the sound of the British voice that comes from the speakers. Not his proudest moment.

“Keep me updated on his vitals, and let me know the moment Helen has him. Parker is going to stay with him.”

“Of course, Miss Hill.”

“And JARVIS?”

“Yes?”

“Keep him safe.”

“I shall do my level best, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” Maria rests her hand over Quinn’s and drops a barely there kiss to his sweat damp curls before she steps off the jet and Eiot follows. The ramp lifts in their wake, and the jet takes off smoothly.

“Now what?” Eliot asks as they head back to their stolen car.

“Now we find the bastard responsible, and I put a few new holes in him,” Maria answers immediately. “And if any of you have a problem with that, get the fuck out of my way now.”

Eliot shakes his head. “No, we’re with you.”

By the time they get back to their temporary HQ, Hardison has a picture, but no name.

Maria’s curses in an impressive number of languages.

Eliot quirks an eyebrow at her.

“His name is Brock Rumlow. Codename Crossbones. He’s Hydra. And assumed dead.”

“ _Assuming_ dead in this business…” Eliot winces.

“Last time anyone saw him a fucking building was falling on him,” Maria glares at Eliot.

“What do you want to do?” Eliot asks calmly.

*

Maria has heard the rumors, knows that for all this crew is the nastiest this side of the Atlantic, they don’t kill and hesitates briefly before answering. “I don’t expect your help. Feel free to leave at any time.”

Hardison laughs. “They got to one of ours. We ain’t going anywhere.”

“I’m going to kill anyone who so much as crosses my path, and send Rumlow’s head back to a friend of mine on a silver fucking platter. If you’ve got a problem with that, you know your way home.”


	3. Chapter 3

Maria is covered in blood, very little of it hers and Hardison is grimly silent in her ears as she orders Rumlow to his knees.

“Gotta say,” Brock drawls up at her, “you weren't the one I expected them to send after me.”

Maria can't help it, she laughs.

Brock quirks an eyebrow at her.

“SHIELD didn't send me, Rumlow.”

A look of honest confusion crosses his face.

Maria’s lips purse grimly. “This is personal, asshole. I honestly didn't have a clue who I was gonna be going after when I flew in. I just knew someone put a hell of an effort into killing my boyfriend.”

Brock’s confusion grows as he mouths ‘boyfriend’, but his face clears when Eliot steps out of the shadows. He scoffs. “Quinn,  really?”

Maria glares.

“I have information worth keeping me alive.”

Maria shrugs. “I really don't care.”

“You should.”

“Try me.”

“Bases, sleeper agents, super soldier programs.”

Maria smirks. “Spencer, my phone is in my back pocket.”

Eliot steps forward and fishes it out.

“It unlocks by voice recognition,” she tells him.

He holds it up toward  her.

“JARVIS.”

“Miss Hill,” the AI responds.

“Call Nick. Video.”

The line rings twice. “Hill, where the hell are you?” Fury glares.

“How's Barnes memory holding up?”

“Just peachy.”

Brock pales.

“Why?” Nick demands.

“Spencer, pan out.”

Eliot steps back and checks the screen to make sure Maria and Brock are both visible.

“Motherfucker,” Fury curses vehemently.

Maria pulls the trigger.

*

Jonah comes back to awareness slowly, dimly acknowledges  he's not wherever he was, certain he's not in as much pain as he should be, and honestly wondering if he’s dead. He's too comfortable for it to hell, though, so he’s gonna assume he's alive for now.

“You are alive,” a warm voice tells him, amusement clear in her tone, “though your automatic assumption you would be in hell otherwise concerns me.”

Quinn groans. “I said all that out loud?”

“Yup,” Parker informs him, far too chipper.

“Think you can open your eyes for me, handsome?” the other voice requests.

Quinn does, slowly, and is immediately grateful someone thought to dim the lights. Parker is perched at the foot of his bed and a slim Asian woman is standing to his left.

The woman smiles at him. “Very good. I'm Dr. Cho. You can call me Helen.”

Quinn focuses on Parker. “Where are we?”

“Stark Tower in New York,” Parker answers readily.

 _Fuck_. Whatever had happened -- Quinn shot upright and grabbed one of Parker’s hands. “New York?! We were in Argentina! The job. Rumlow… Fuck!”

Parker squeezes his hand reassuringly. “We didn't finish the job exactly how we planned, but we did finish it.”

Quinn shakes his head. “Parker, you don't understand. Rumlow is-”

“Very dead,” Parker cuts him off.

Quinn blinks. “What?”

Parker bites her lip nervously. “Your girlfriend was using an alias.”

“I know.”

“But did you know who she really is?”

“... no.”

“Maria Hill,” Parker tells him. “Former Deputy Director of-”

“SHIELD,” Jonah finishes as he flops back against his pillow. “Fuck me.” He turns his head toward Helen. “How the hell am I moving? I should be dead.”

Helen nods. “And if Maria had gotten you to me 10 minutes later than she did, you would be. Let's just say I have the technology to make miracles happen.”

Quinn nods. “Thank you.”

“You still need to rest.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

He turns back to Parker. “Where is she?”

“Flying back. She sent us back in the quinjet before she went after the bad guy, so they had to take a regular plane back,” the thief answers. “Sleep. I'll keep watch.”

 

Next time he wakes up, Maria is seated next to his bed scowling at the tablet in her hands. Her hair is pulled back in a loose bun, her tac suit hugs every curse he can see, and her scuffed combat boots are kicked up next to his hip. “Like the new look,” he murmurs.

Maria’s eyes snap up to his and she smiles. “Old look, technically. Hey.”

“Hi. Rumlow?”

Maria’s expression is grim. “Dead.”

Jonah quirks an eyebrow at her.

She hits a few buttons on her tablet and turns it to face him before she plays the recording of her video call with Fury.

He lets out an impressed whistle. “Damn, babe.”

Maria shrugs. “ _Every_ aspect of my life is easier knowing for sure he’s dead.”

“Right, SHIELD…”

She shakes her head and tosses the tablet aside to reach for his hand and intertwine their fingers. “I didn’t go after him because of SHIELD, Jonah. I didn’t know who I was going after until after I got to Argentina.”

“Me? You went after him because of me?” Jonah gapes at her.

Maria shrugs. “I don’t like people messing with my people.”

“Shoulda seen what she did last time someone went after one of her people,” a new voice interjects from the door.

Quinn tenses.

Maria doesn’t even flinch. “Nick.”

“Hill.”

“Gonna introduce me to your boyfriend?”

“Do I have to? It’s not like you don’t already know.”

He narrows his good eye at her. “You straight up executed Rumlow and correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m fairly certain you mailed his head to Rogers… and all because he went after the man in this bed. Plus, it’s just polite.”

Maria rolls her eyes and swings her feet off the bed. “Jonah Quinn, Nick Fury.”

“Sir,” Quinn nods. He turns to Maria. “When he says Rogers…”

“I mean the woman mailed the man’s head to Captain America.”

Maria rolls her eyes again. “I only sent him a picture of Rumlow’s head. I threw the real thing in a damn incinerator.”

Jonah gapes until Maria quirks an eyebrow at him. “Marry me.”


End file.
